The Cambridge Latin Course (CLC), first published in the 1970s, has served as an introduction to Roman culture and the Latin language for generations of students. The first book of the UK series, now in its fifth edition, follows once again the life of Caecilius and his household in Pompeii. While the story and underlying pedagogical approach remain for the most part unchanged, the fifth edition includes modest but beneficial updates to the book’s depth of characters and overall design.

Consistent with the fourth edition, readers are introduced to new vocabulary and grammar with illustrated panels at the beginning of each stage. These panels or cartoons are now in colour for the first time in the UK series. Students and teachers from the United States may be somewhat surprised, as the US edition has had coloured panels since 2015. The publication of the fifth edition has been much overdue for UK students. The coloured panels, albeit simple in their design, provide a richer and more engaging experience.

Following the illustrated panels of each stage are Latin readings. These readings have been updated to provide a more inclusive and authentic view of Roman civilization. A new daughter named Lucia, who is to be married off to an older man, is introduced to the story. Another new female character named Clara is also introduced; Clara is hired by Caecilius to paint a fresco in his house. With the inclusion of these new female characters, students can examine the life experiences of young women across social class in the Roman world.

Existing characters, moreover, have been modified to portray the cultural diversity in Roman history. Barbillus, a wealthy Greco-Syrian merchant character, has a more prominent role in the story and is presented as a person of colour. The inclusion of Barbillus helps dispel the erroneous belief that all people of colour were slaves in ancient Rome. For those who would like to learn more, Cambridge’s Faculty of Education has published a detailed examination of the changes made to reflect the diversity of the Roman world.Footnote ¹

While extensive changes have been made to make the story more inclusive and diverse in its portrayal of Roman civilization, little has been done to improve the Latin learning experience. Following a pedagogical approach referred to as the ‘Reading Method’, the CLC series seeks to immerse students in the language through reading rather than rote memorization of paradigms and forms. The idea of language immersion through reading is excellent, but the CLC series has its shortcomings.

The stories in the stages are often too short for students to immerse themselves meaningfully in the content. For a reading-first approach to be effective, a lot of reading material or input must be provided. With almost half of each stage dedicated to a survey of Roman culture in English, there is a sincere lack of opportunities to read in the target language. Students would benefit greatly from the inclusion of additional readings to practice and review the vocabulary and grammar introduced in each stage.

As for the introduction of grammar and vocabulary, minimal changes have been made since the fourth edition. Grammar is introduced in the ‘About the Language’ sections of each stage. Complete charts for noun declensions or verbs are not provided for the reader in these sections. While it is understandable not to provide a full chart to students in the ‘About the Language’ section, it is unfortunate that charts are not available in the back of the book.

As mentioned prior, the fifth edition includes extensive civilization essays. These civilizations essays, ranging on topics from the Roman forum to gladiators, are one of the greatest strengths of the CLC series. Interspersed within the main text body are comments by characters from Caecilius’s story. These comments help tie together the initial Latin readings with the historical content. Along with the character comments, each essay has several discussion questions. These questions have been edited slightly from the fourth edition.

The fifth edition also includes images of real artifacts from Pompeii and Roman history. The new images added to the fifth edition are refreshing and enhance the reading experience. These artifacts, however, do not have any source information. The omission of information about the origin and date of each artifact limits the extent of student inquiry and the depth of classroom discussion. Brief citations or an appendix in the back of the book would allow students to learn more about specific artifacts of interest.

Digital resources remain an area of growth for the CLC series. The book includes a digital access code for an online copy of the book. This online copy of the book is static and does not include additional study or review resources. It should be noted, however, that there are more interactive resources for studying vocabulary and practicing grammar on the MyCLC webpage.Footnote ² The best spot for free supplemental resources remains the Cambridge School Classics Project (North America) website.Footnote ³

The first book of the Cambridge Latin Course remains one of the most beloved introductions to Roman culture and Latin available for students. The Cambridge School Classics Project has taken steps in its fifth edition to explore the lives of not only men but women in the Roman world. In future editions, the inclusion of more readings – perhaps exploring in further detail the lives of the newly included female characters – would be a welcome change. Overall, teachers using the fourth edition should not feel the need to upgrade immediately to the fifth edition.